So something followed me home this afternoon... Not sure where this project is headed but as you will soon see this is far from original so if you are looking for a loving restoration to factory spec you may as well quit reading now. Not seen in this photo are a seat in nice shape but recovered, amazingly the pan is solid, both fenders and a front fairing with thrashed windscreen.
The back story that this 1970 Short wheelbase /5 frame with a miss matched motor was running when parked a bit more than a year ago but was parked because an electrical issue caused the starter to no longer work when triggered. I wasted no time and dug right in for a bit of a closer look, no real disassembly today (that will be tomorrow morning) not quite the factory wiring or the factory key
The plans for now are to tear it all the way down evaluate whats too worn to use and what's missing and then decide where to go from there. For now lets take a closer look at the wiring. Most of the stuff is reasonably recognisable but I'm not sure what these two black cylnders are. Thoughts First impression is that the homemade harness is reasonably well thought out and carefully assembled, but I'll be building my own all the same
Now lets see what the fluids have to tell us. final drive oil looks reasonable, no hints of water No huge shards on the magnet, but I'll crack in there soon anyway. Same story on the trans, the photo makes it look a bit creamy but it actually was not at all which is pretty impressive considering the mongrel spent the last year under a tarp.
Wow, that harness is something else. Just so you know, BMW sells /5 harnesses for short money. Like, well under $100. Seems like everyone is finding old /5 basket cases these days. I just got one myself a couple months ago. I'll look forward to seeing your updates.
Part of why I am excited about this project is the need to build a harness, I think it will be fun. What did you end up doing with your's is it on the street yet?
Lets see what we get when we pull the plugs... Right: that little white line visible through the hole is the open exhaust valve. The bore looks surprisingly clean considering that it had a open flow of air and moisture for the last year. Left: not as concerned with water damage to this side...
Oh heavens, no! I bought the bike to part it out, but then decided that it's too nice and easily retrievable that I'll just fix it up. My conscience won't let me break it up. I'm in the last few bits and pieces of a Guzzi rebuild right now. After that's going and sorted out, I'll start in on the /5. I had an old BMW 2002, whose wiring harness fried itself after a light accident. I made a new one, but it wasn't anything at all like fun.
Inmate Wirespokes is a Wiz with speedos. Interesting electrics. Good job on the harness. That relay box looks straight out of WWII. Those black thingamabobs are relays. Old vacuum tube-type sockets. Wow. --Bill
We are in agreement on a few points I too am an orphan home for the unloved and decrepit machines and I am very loath to make big changes to something that is in even just functional original shape. This bike is such a mashup of parts that I see it as a starting point with out a defined end goal yet. You are also right that fun was probably not the best word to describe the actual process of putting a custom harness together. I think it will be one of those things that is fun to think about before, a huge PITA to do and fun to have done. I went through the harness on my r1100rt authority version this past winter figuring that out was like rubbing sand in my eyes for six hours and just about when I thought I had it sorted it would all go right back into the handbasket to a fresh hand full of 120 grit. Doing something like this (building a harness not the sand in the they eyes) is a good next step in progressing my skills with electrics. I like riding, driving, having and working on old crap and it's just going to get older so I figure either better get good at all aspects of working on it or figure out how to be rich, which is unlikely. Thanks for the insight, I'll be getting further into it in an hour or two and have a closer look at them.
I'll see your pile of parts in a truck and raise you one... more on how it got that way after I clean the grease from under my nails.
Here are some of the photos from yesterday's teardown, I'll get the sad ones out of the way first but this looks good and un-hacked Not sure if this was a factory bar but the construction is interesting One more view of the harness The most amusing part of the day is where the two wrist pin retainers leapt to when removed it wouldn't have been nearly as funny if they had made it down the holes I'll get a closer look at those bores next week and have a peak at the transmission and final drive as well. In the mean time the frame and harness are in the basement for further investigation and the start of planning for a new set up.
What I don't understand is why does someone elses pile of parts look so much more attractive than what we already have?
I have been remiss in posting updates, sorry... A bit more tear-down has been completed the crank is out and looks good the cylinder bores not so much. I have forgotten to take my camera a couple times, but I'll get some shots up before too long. Looking at the price of going up a size with the pistons and rings I'm not sure that is the best choice. There are some possibilities lurking out there in the darkness, 800cc nikasil or 1000 cc iron. I am going to try make a decision and get a parts order together next week for the various consumables so that some basic engine building can start. Also on the to do list is to build a cabinet for the soda blaster so I can finish getting the flat black paint and the rest of the 30 years of grime off the block. I've also been looking at possibilities for building a wiring harness. A friend suggested the idea of building it off an arduino to control everything centrally like a modern bike. I did some hunting around on the web this evening and at first glance it looks like it could work and would be pretty slick. Any of you FF ever played with arduino boards?
I play with them at work every day. They are great but I wouldn't think they are robust enough for the road.